Let's Rebuild a School Together

Ganga Ghar is committed to helping reconstruct a school that was decimated during the earthquake by working together with the local communities, government, and other individuals and organizations who share the vision of rebuilding Nepal.

Ganga Ghar’s immediate earthquake relief program has aided 1,500 families in the hardest hit regions. With relief and recovery under way, now is the time to start rebuilding. With your help, we can rebuild a school that was completely destroyed.

When the earthquake decimated this school, the impact was not only to the building itself; it affects each child and family in the area. Just as unsafe buildings are a danger to their occupants, interrupting a child’s educational progress is also dangerous. The risk of a student not returning to school after an unplanned hiatus is great; it’s even greater when the community is in crisis. With your help, and by involving the community, we can rebuild this school quickly, keeping students on track. But time is of the essence.

We Can Rebuild

Our extensive local knowledge and grassroots network of supporters in the Oli Dada region enables Ganga Ghar to reach into the smaller remote villages where larger aid agencies often can’t assist. Sora Gharai is one such village.

The school in Sora Gharai village is an important one, because it serves students from six to eight surrounding villages. This remote region of Oli Dada is a 1.5 hour walk from central Dhading, the closest town, or a 30-minute drive in an off-road vehicle. In the earthquake, the concrete school structure developed severe cracks, and collapsed. The villagers -- including the school’s students -- are now working on safely demolishing and removing the rubble, preparing the space for a new structure.

Our Plan of Action

The key word here is “Action”. Our goal is to begin reconstruction on July 15th, 2015. This aggressive timeline will minimize the interruption to the students’ education, but also involve them in the planning and building of their new school. Ganga Ghar is seeking to raise $30,000 for this project, and in addition to your kind donations, we are collaborating with the community, local government, and other aid agencies to meet that funding goal.

Construction cost breakdown:

5 Classrooms X $4,000

$20,000

1 Staff Room X $5,000

$5,000

2 Restrooms (Boys & Girls) X $1,250

$2,500

Water, Electricity & Other

$2,500

TOTAL:

$30,000

Our local expertise in sourcing materials and labor helps keep these costs to a minimum. As this is a public school, the government has already contributed $250; it's not much, but it's a start. The finances of the Nepali government are being stretched thin during this crisis.Ganga Ghar is serious about transparency. Any remaining funds after the school is finished will be used to aid families of our sponsored children in other areas whose homes were destroyed in the earthquake. As always, we’ll provide a full accounting of where the money goes, and how our direct aid helps each community.

Type of Construction

Ganga Ghar plans to build a concrete one-storey building with five classrooms. We chose concrete over other forms of construction materials such as bamboo after extensive feasibility study in the local community. While estimated cost for the constructions are comparable, well-engineered concrete building will be much more stronger and long lasting than a bamboo structure, resulting in long term benefit to the community.

The building will be designed by an engineer and approved by the local authorities for regulatory purpose. Each classroom will have four concrete pillars in four corners while the walls will be built with concrete blocks. We will use galvanized tin as the roofing material. Construction materials for a concrete building are available in nearby town. We plan to utilize local manpower for construction. The local involvement will minimize the costs and will create a sense of ownership that will benifit the school as well as the community.

WORK IN ACTION

In April of 2016, members of the Ganga Ghar team from Nepal and the US visited Oli Dada to put the finishing touches on the school rebuilding project and to hold ceremonies for its grand reopening. We were so thrilled to take part in the opening event, as we are also thrilled to be sharing the story with you. Please take a look at the photo album below to see how a global team of supporters, volunteers, and local community rebuilt a school in Oli Dada, Nepal.

Financial Breakdown

Financial transparency has always been one of the top most priorities of Ganga Ghar's mission. Following that same mission, our financial team has compiled all the donations and expenses of our most recent earthquake relief effort.

* You can also view the detail of the transactions in this google spreadsheet.* Additional funds and donations will be allocated for the re-construction and rehabilation program. Stay tuned for more info.